In recent years, American bakery has been revolutionized by the influence of French know-how, it is rediscovering the art of bread and pastry-making, featuring ancestral techniques, authentic recipes and high-quality ingredients, starting with French flours.
This return to high standards has not gone unnoticed. In every corner of the USA, artisan bakeries are opening up, offering crisp baguettes, flaky croissants and elaborate sourdough breads that have nothing to envy Parisian bakeries. How has France injected its spirit into this booming sector? That’s what we’re going to find out
French know-how: an inspiring model
French bakery is recognized worldwide for its artisanal production techniques. In France, mastery of leavened doughs, slow fermentation and buttery products is a tradition handed down from generation to generation. This “savoir-faire” now inspires many American artisans in their quest for authenticity and quality.
In the United States, expatriate French bakers play a key role in this transformation. Many of them open their own bakeries, where they also train local apprentices. These bakeries have become benchmarks, attracting a customer base that loves authentic products, as evidenced by the growing popularity of sourdough breads and viennoiseries.
The importance of French flours: a key ingredient
One of the key factors in the success of French bakery is, without doubt, quality flours. Contrary to American flours, which are often purified or loaded with additives, French flours are renowned for their purity and mineral content, which directly influence the taste, texture and shelf life of breads. Type 55 and 65 flours, for instance, are particularly popular for making traditional French bread.
For American bakers who want to get closer to the French tradition, the use of French flours has become an obvious choice. These flours produce light, golden baguettes with an airy crumb and crisp crust. “Flour is the soul of bread”, explain master bakers. Using French flour means ensuring a quality base from which to create unique products.
A new wave of passionate bakers
From Los Angeles to New York to Miami, a new generation of bakers is redefining standards of artisan baking. Trained in France or inspired by French chefs, they focus on natural methods that respect the product. Slow fermentations become commonplace, allowing the development of complex aromas and improved bread digestibility. Natural sourdough gradually replaces industrial yeast, giving breads their characteristic flavor and optimal preservation.
These “artisans” also adopted recipes emblematic of French heritage: croissants, pains au chocolat, braided brioches and country breads. These products became symbols of quality in the windows of American bakeries, attracting an increasingly demanding client base.
When tradition rhymes with innovation
While French techniques are firmly established, they also blend with local trends to give rise to hybrid creations. American artisans don’t hesitate to revisit French classics to suit their customers’ tastes.
These include croissants filled with peanut butter or strawberry jam, sourdough breads incorporating local seeds, and cinnamon-scented brioches. And most innovative of all, hybrid pastries are now available!
The concept of hybrid pastries is not new, but it has gained significant momentum over the last decade. It all began with the famous “cronut”, invented in New York by Dominique Ansel. This fusion of a croissant and a doughnut caused a sensation, with endless queues outside his bakery. The success of the “cronut” paved the way for a host of other hybrid creations, each more inventive than the last:
– Brookie: halfway between a brownie and a cookie, this dessert combines the melt-in-your-mouth texture of a brownie with the crunch of a cookie.
– Cragel: invented in Brooklyn by Scott Rossillo, this is a hybrid between a croissant and a bagel. It comes in both savory and sweet versions.
– Crookie: a fusion of croissant and cookie, the crookie combines the buttery flakiness of a croissant with the indulgence of a chocolate chip cookie.
– Macaronut: an alliance between the French macaron and the doughnut, this creation combines the lightness and refined flavors of the macaron with the generous shape and filling of a doughnut.
– Whoopie: a hybrid of macaroon and cookie, well known in France. It is a traditional Amish recipe.
– Cruffin: a cross between a croissant and a muffin. It was invented by Australian Kate Reid, but gained notoriety in the United States.
– And many more…
This fusion of culinary cultures gives rise to unique products that are conquering the market.
A fast-rising market
The rise of French artisan bakeries in the United States can also be explained by a change in consumer habits. Americans are increasingly concerned about the quality of the food they eat. They are looking for healthy, natural, and tasty products.
French flours, combined with artisanal techniques, are the perfect answer to this demand. They offer nutritious breads, without additives or preservatives. Many bakeries are also taking advantage of this trend to educate their customers. They organize workshops on how to make sourdough bread or organize tastings to explain the difference between industrial and artisan breads.
The future of American baking: an inspired model
The French influence is not limited to reproducing traditional recipes. It’s pushing American bakers to rethink their approach, to value artisanal work and to explore new flavors.
With the popularity of French flours and arrival of new techniques, American artisan bakery is undergoing a veritable renaissance. It offers a model that combines tradition and innovation, respect for products and consumer pleasure.
A French-style revolution…
Bakery Distribution Warehouse is committed to this trend, importing high-quality Foricher French flours certified organic and Label Rouge. It offers a wide range of products, including wheat, buckwheat, oatmeal, rye, and small spelt flours (T45, T55, T65, T130, T150) to enable its customers to make breads, viennoiseries or cakes in the United States in the French tradition.
To order your French flours, click here
(Photo credit: Pexel – Les Moulins Foricher)